The present invention is directed to novel pharmaceutical and cosmetic formulations which exhibit antimicrobial activity comprising hydrophilic or pure extracts of Krameria and lipophilic extract of Mesua ferrea in a sufficient amount to exhibit antimicrobial activity.
Extracts of the roots, bark, and leaves of different species of Krameria are enriched in neolignanes which have antimicrobial activity against gram negative, gram positive bacteria, fungi, and anaerobic strains. (Martindale, The Extrapharmacopeia, 28th Ed. 1982; Cannizaro, Boll. Soc. Ital. Biol. Sperim. 1, 22, 1964; V. Hoppe, Drogenkunde Bdl Walter De Gruyter Ed., 1975; and British Patent 2,184,353 A). A preferred species of Krameria is Krameria triandra, and a particularly active neolignane is Eupomatenoid. The extracts are obtained by extraction with chlorinated solvents, aliphatic ethers and ketones, as well as aliphatic and aromatic esters.
The extracts of Krameria's roots, bark, and leaves are naturally hydrophilic due to the phenol character of their active components. Nevertheless, the extraction can be carried out with protic solvents. Pure Eupomatenoid 6 and 2-(2,4-dihyroxyphenyl)-5-propenylbenzofuran can be recovered from these extracts using chromatographic techniques on silica gel, as reported in EP 0 464 297 B1.
Flowers, and particularly the buds, of Mesua ferrea, yield a lipophilic extract containing substituted coumarins and xanthones. These extracts are particularly active on gram negative, gram positive, and anaerobic bacterial strains, with an activity comparable to that of the extract prepared from Krameria triandra. The extraction can be carried out with aprotic solvents such as hexane, methylene chloride. However, for better results, the extraction process can be carried out with carbon dioxide in hypercritic conditions. For example, the extraction of vegetable material is conducted under pressures ranging from 110 to 260 bar, mainly at 200 bar and at temperatures ranging from 35.degree. C. to 65.degree. C., preferably at 45.degree. C.
Despite improvements in the extraction process of Krameria, the use of the extract or compounds within the extract with medications is still mostly undeveloped. Shortcomings include the absence of medications which use Krameria extracts in combination with other medications and a clear understanding of the effect of extract of Krameria upon other compounds. The present invention is directed to overcoming these shortcomings by providing cosmetic and pharmaceutical formulations comprising extract of Krameria and extract of Mesua ferrea and demonstrating their superior antimicrobial activity as compared to conventionally prepared compounds, i.e. compounds lacking extract of Krameria and extract of Mesua ferrea.